By ALI SWENSON and OBED LAMY, Associated Press

MINOOKA, Ill. (AP) — Bill Swick has a rare degenerative brain disease that inhibits his mobility and speech. Instead of the hassle of traveling an hour to a clinic in downtown Chicago to visit a speech therapist, he has benefited from virtual appointments from the comfort of his home.

But Swick, 53, hasn’t had access to those appointments for the last month.

Bill Swick looks at his wife Martha Swick at their home in Minooka, Ill., Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The federal government shutdown , now in its fifth week, halted funding for the Medicare telehealth program that pays his provider for her services. So, Swick and his wife are practicing old strategies rather than learning new skills to manage his growing difficult

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